Guyana buys pirated textbooks to save money

GEORGETOWN, Guyana -- The South American country of Guyana says it is buying pirated textbooks for public schools as a cost-saving measure in the first public announcement of its kind.

Cabinet Secretary Roger Luncheon says officials are buying pirated books from printing firms and companies that photocopy books because of their high quality and lower prices.

Luncheon said the government's move is justified despite complaints from a London-based company that previously sold textbooks to Guyana. The Publishers Association accused the government of violating local and international laws in a statement late Friday.

Local companies have been photocopying books to sell to Guyana's Education Ministry for more than a decade, forcing the closure of several legitimate bookstores that sold copyrighted volumes at a higher price.